Broken Wings
by OcelotKitten
Summary: Snape returns from a Death Eater meeting beaten, bloodied, and unconscious. Will he recover, and what news does he have? WIP


Summary: Snape returns from a Death Eater meeting beaten, bloodied, and unconscious. Will he recover, and what news does he have?  
  
Rating: PG-13 for descriptions of violence. If I can get my nerve up, it might change to R.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, though I'd like to. Wouldn't you?  
  
Feedback: Please, as long as you don't flame.  
  
__________  
  
Broken Wings  
  
By OcelotKitten __________  
  
  
  
It was a balmy Saturday night, and Hogsmeade was bustling with students and teachers. Traditionally, students third-year and above were allowed to take trips into the wizard town on designated days, but the trips had been reduced in number due to the continued threat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The excursions to the town usually resulted in high spirits, but this time the students were very quiet, and showed little sign of enjoying the holiday. Everyone's mind was on the marked absence of a certain someone.  
  
It is one of the ironies of life that the one thing you most dislike and wish gone, once it is, you miss it profoundly. Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts was missing. He had been summoned to Voldemort side yet again, and had not returned yet. He had stayed for long periods of time before, but never longer than a week and he had been gone for three weeks this time. All the students and teachers were worried sick about him. Even the Slytherins, who ordinarily didn't care a whit about anyone, were worried sick about their Head of House.  
  
Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley were strolling between shops, when a sudden flash of movement down an alleyway caught Harry's eye. "Wait a minute," he called to Ron and Hermione who had moved slightly ahead when he stopped. Harry squinted down the alley. A huddled shape was just visible lying on the ground, and three tall robed figures stood over it. Pulling out his wand, Harry cried, "Lumos!"  
  
The end of the wand blazed into light, and illuminated the figures. The standing figures shrank back away from the light but not before their grotesque masks were visible. Harry heard one of them curse. A quick incantation was muttered, and with a bang, all three of them Disapparated. "Death Eaters!" Ron said with a shudder, "I wonder what they were doing." The huddled figure stirred weakly, and with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Harry pelted down the alley, robes flying.  
  
The Death Eaters were not above kidnapping people and torturing them for their sick amusements. Victims rarely came back alive, they were usually found dead near where they had been taken, evidence of unspeakable tortures plain on their bodies. But every so often, they were returned alive, almost always driven mad by what they had endured.  
  
Harry skidded to a halt and crouched down beside the shaking man. Hermione and Ron came panting up, Hermione's face was white, and Ron looked grim. The man's knees were pulled up to his chest, and his arms were clamped around his head, as if to ward off attacks. "Poor bastard," Ron said bitterly, "No one deserves this." Harry gently touched the shivering form. At Harry's touch, the man cried out, a pitiful terrified wail from a tormented soul, and abruptly fell limp.  
  
Praying that the man was only unconscious and not dead, Harry gently turned him over. As the man's face was revealed, Ron and Hermione gave identical shrieks of surprise. It was Snape. Harry checked Snape's pulse, and let out a sigh of relief as he found it weak but still there. Harry turned to Ron and said, "Ron, go to the Hog's Head, and get Dumbledore!" Ron nodded, white-faced, and took off down the alley. The Hog's Head was the local tavern in Hogsmeade and the teachers could usually be found there when the students were in the town.  
  
Harry and Hermoine ministered to Snape as best they could while they waited for Ron's return. His right arm appeared to be broken in several places. His face was covered in lacerations, and he was badly burned. But the most gut-wrenching injury was to his hands. Snape's hands had been long and elegant, perfectly suited to delicate manipulation of fine potion ingredients. But now, these hands were bruised and broken. Sickeningly, on the back of one hand was the clear imprint of a boot sole.  
  
Hermione pulled out her wand and tapped Snape's broken arm. "Ferula," she commanded, and a splint spun itself into existence around his arm. Just then, Ron came dashing back down the alleyway. Following at a run was Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lupin. Dumbledore crouched down next to Harry and said, "Is he . . .?" Harry shook his head, "He's still alive but barely. We need to get him back to the school."  
  
Lupin pulled out his wand, tapped the Potion's Master's prone body and intoned, "Mobilicorpus." Snape floated up and rose to the height of the outstretched wand. Dumbledore incanted the Apparate spell, and they vanished to the border of the Hogwarts grounds.  
  
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AN: I hope it wasn't too horrible. I'm finding that I quite enjoy Sev- torture. *vbeg* 


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